Knitting machine cam



Nov. 14, 1939. J. F: THIEL 2,180,265 f KNITTING MACHINE CAM Filed Deo.l5, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l NVENTOR ATTORNEYS Nov. 14, 1939.= J. F- THEL2,180,265

KNITTING MACHINE CAM Filed Dec. l5, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2y yyt/ V1 34k*/z u 174kf l A?, v l

BY m

ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES` PATENT OFFICEI KNITI'INGMACHINE CAM John F. Thiel, Maple shadeN. J. Application December 15,1937, Serial No. 17.9,980

2 Claims. (Cl. 66-82) This invention relates to cams for full fashionedhosiery machines. A machine of this character employs cams on ashiftable cam shaft for the truck cam rollers to ride on under theinfluence of springs which prevent the speed of peration of the machinefrom being raised past the potential recovery power of the springs,otherwise excessive vibration coupled with poor precision will be set upbringing about a' production disadvantage, the vibration also affectingquality of the work produced by the machine.

The primary object of the present invention is the provision of amultiple cam within a cam for the operation of the different motions ofthe machine, as for instance, the narrowing motion, the knocking overbit motionand other motions common to such a machine, so that the speedof operation of the machine may be materially increased with precisionraised to the highest degree of emciency by reducing vibration to aminimum and thereby eliminating wear and the necessity of adjustmentsincident thereto, and consequently prolonging the lift of the machine.

With these and other objects in View, this invention consists in certainnovel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts tobe hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had tothe following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1is a fragmentary transverse sectional view illustrating the camconstructed in accordance with the present invention shown adapted to acam shaft of a full fashioned hosiery machine in which the cam isemployed for the operation of themechanism for the raising andv loweringof needles and the working of said needles about pivots.

Figure 2 is a side elevation illustrating a cam unit.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the .line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a side elevation illustrating one of the cams of the unit.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 4.

.Figure 6 is a side elevation illustrating the cam unit with the camshown in Figure 4 removed.

Figure '7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7 1 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a transverse sectional view showing a cam unit including inthe construction triple cams.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral I indicates afragmentary portion of a full fashioned hosiery machine wherein the nee-5 dles thereof areindicated by thecharacter Zand the mechanism foroperating the needles by the character 3. The mechanism 3 includes truckrollers .4 for actuation by a cam unit 5 forming the subject matter ofthe present invention. 10 Heretofore the truckrollers have been actuatedby cams on the cam shaft 6 and caused to ride said cams byf springmeans. In a construction of this vkind the speed of operation of themachine cannot be raised past the potential re- 15 covery of the springmeans, otherwise excessive vibration will be set up in the machineaifecting the life of the machine as well as producing productiondisadvantages. A machine of the character referred to employs a numberof cams 2o for the operation of the various motions, for instance theknock over bit motion and the narrowing motion as well as the needleoperation heretofore broadly referred to, all of the operatingmechanisms for these motions having the truck rollers thereof riding onthe cams by spring influence. To remove the above set forthdisadvantages from a full fashioned hosiery machine and to permit thespeed of operation to be materially increased, cam units 5 constructedin accordance with the present invention are substituted for the camsnow in use wherein the spring action now is entirely eliminated and thetruck rollers compelled to` ride their respective cams with precisionand eliminating vibration 35 and undue wear in the machine.

The present invention is in the cam unit consisting of a multiple camwithin a cam, or in other words, consists of cam elements 'I and 8 eachincluding a hub 9 to be secured on the cam shaft 6. The cam elements arefastened together 40 by tie bolts I0. The peripheries of the camelements are shaped to bring about proper movement of the mechanism. foroperating a particular motion of the machine and portions of theseperipheries are of annular formation, as shown in Figure 2, which willpermit passing of the truck rollers from one cam unit to another duringthe shifting of the cam shaft 6 which is common in the operation of afull fashioned hosiery machine. 'I'he cam unit 1 may be termed themaster unit and is extended beyond its periphery, as shown at II, andhas integral therewith a roof I2. The roof I2 overlies the peripheries of the cam elements and has faces I3 to match the 55 peripheries of thecam elements so that when the truck rollers ride the cam elements theyalso contactthe faces of the roof and are thereby caused to follow thecam elements accurately and eliminate the use of springs to maintain therollers on their cams. A cam unit constructed in this manner will permitmaximum speed of operation of the machine to be obtained with vibrationreduced to a minimum.

A cam unit may include two or more cam elements and, as shown in Figure8, the cam unit includes three cam elements. The cam elements may beincreased and decreased as needed in the operation of the variousmotions of the machine. The cam elements being detachably connected bythe die bolts I0 provide means which will permit the cam unit to beincreased and decreased as to the number of cam elements desired.

The use of the cam unit on a modern full fashioned hosiery machine willprovide in the latter the iineness of precision that is usuallyassociated with a good watch movement. With such precision of movementand due to the multiple cams within a cam principle, control ofvibration and the speed of the machine will be materially enhanced andtorque may be controlled to a fraction of a degree. The necessity foradjustment and repairs will be reduced to a minimum and the delicacy ofprecision will enable the machine to produce work of a superb qualitynever before approached with a full fashioned machine operating with theconventional type of cams. Further the life of the machine will beprolonged and it is to be understood that the present cam inventioncanhe applied to any of the motions employed in a full fashioned hosierymachine.

Whatis claimed is:

1. In a full fashioned hosiery machine, a variable motion operatingmechanism including a truck roller and a longitudinally shiftable camshaft, a multiple cam unit secured on said shaft and including a mastercam and a plurality of superimposed cams to be selectively engaged bythe truck roller, and a roof element forming a part of the master cambut surrounding. all of the cams of the unit, said roof element beingseparately shaped in accordance with the peripheral contour of themaster cam and the respective superimposed cams whereby to retain saidtruck roller in its working engagement with the respective cams.

2. In a full fashioned hosiery machine, a variable motion operatingmechanism including a truck roller and a longitudinally shiftable camshaft, a multiple cam unit secured on said shaft and including aplurality of superimposed cams to be selectively engaged by the truckroller, the

peripheral working portions of said cams being differently formedeccentrically relative to the axis of the shaft and the other peripheralportions of the cams being formed coincidentally concentric to the axisof the shaft, and an annular roof element carried by and forming a partof the unit in xed relation to the cams thereof, said roof elementoverhanging and surrounding all of the cams and being separately shapedinternally in. accordance with the peripheral contoursy of therespective cams whereby to retain the vtruck roller in working relationto the eccentric peripheral portion of .the selectively engaged cam andalso in engagement with the concentric portions of the cams during theaxial movement of the cam shaft.

JOHN F. THIEL.

